According to the "Books on the L" website, Chicago Transit Authority trains will feature books by Martine Rothblatt, Michael Strahan, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill and Scott Shane, along with hundreds of volumes from all genres. This library-on-a-train phenomenon isn't limited to the Windy City, either: it began with "Books on the Underground" in London, then jumped across the Atlantic to New York City's subway.

Which metropolis will be the next to turn its trains into moving libraries? Bibliophile commuters across the country will have to wait and see.

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About Erin Blakemore

Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist. Her work has appeared in publications like The Washington Post, TIME, mental_floss, Popular Science and JSTOR Daily. Learn more at erinblakemore.com.